{"id":354,"date":"2017-02-02T15:27:03","date_gmt":"2017-02-02T23:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?p=354"},"modified":"2017-02-02T15:50:07","modified_gmt":"2017-02-02T23:50:07","slug":"acurseablessing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2017\/02\/acurseablessing.html","title":{"rendered":"A Curse & A Blessing: Both Are About Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"391A8230-de\"I have a blessing or gift. \u00a0It\u2019s also somewhat of a curse, depending on how you look at it. \u00a0It is my ability to maintain calm in the midst of chaos. \u00a0I should note that \u00a0you could define chaos in both negative and positive connotations here. \u00a0Everyone\u2019s super excited about things? I am calm and absorbing it. Shit\u2019s hitting the fan? There I am, scoping things out, gathering information, formulating plans. \u00a0It\u2019s a curse in the sense that it sometimes gets me in trouble with others because I don\u2019t exhibit strong reactions from their point-of-view.\u00a0( FYI: I\u2019m not on medication of any kind, but I do have low blood pressure. But mainly I think it\u2019s a behavior I learned growing up, finding it highly effective for getting things done.)<\/em><\/p>\n

But I can also guarantee you, per my name, when it\u2019s time to say or do the thing, I do it in full force. \u00a0All the way.<\/p>\n

There has been a lot of chaos around Patheos in the last week, for better or for worse. If you want the TL;DR version: I\u2019m not going anywhere.<\/strong> \u00a0If you want to know why (and especially where I believe it ties into witchcraft), please keep reading.<\/p>\n

Late last week, I got the head\u2019s up that all<\/strong> Patheos writers (all of the channels) would be getting an updated contract. \u00a0When the contract arrived, some of the language did not sit well with me (or a lot of other people). \u00a0However, even though I am not a lawyer, my past experiences with contracts is that in most situations, you can most certainly work to amend them. \u00a0That was my plan.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not going to comment on the drama that happened, except that I think we would have reached the same conclusion without it, with a lot less stress. \u00a0Others might not think so, but we are entitled to our opinions and perspectives. Everyone right now everywhere is freaked out. \u00a0We are all on edge and on the defensive. \u00a0It\u2019s very easy to start seeing bogeymen everywhere and incite a riot. \u00a0Sometimes the latter is necessary, but I prefer a more grounded approach, especially in these times. \u00a0No need to waste energy that can be used to manifest birches<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When Jason<\/a> invited me to move my blog over to Patheos, it was a no-brainer. \u00a0From their mission statement\/about page:<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>Founded in 2008, Patheos.com is the premier online destination to engage in the global dialogue about religion and spirituality and to explore and experience the world\u2019s beliefs. Patheos is the website of choice for the millions of people looking for credible and balanced information about religion. Patheos brings together faith communities, academics, and the broader public into a single environment, and is the place where many people turn on a regular basis for insight, inspiration, and stimulating discussion.<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what I needed. While I do indeed write for some great P-word-targeted sites, like Witches & Pagans<\/a>, I feel that right now, more than ever, it\u2019s extremely important to be visible, to make our voices heard, and Patheos is an excellent platform to make it happen. \u00a0We don\u2019t gain anything by hiding in our caves or cottages. \u00a0We can\u2019t only have the comfort of our echo-chambers. \u00a0 They have their uses, but my work requires getting the message out beyond those boundaries.<\/p>\n

Per an earlier discussion today, I realized I\u2019m not afraid of business. \u00a0In fact, I have a long history of understanding business, thanks to my father owning his own company \u2013 which happened largely out of our house. \u00a0I grew up with it. I don\u2019t label everything involving money\u00a0capitalism \u2013 I have a realistic and practical world view of money and commerce. \u00a0In fact, I think it\u2019s crucial for our continued survival that more P-words start learning to balance the practical with the metaphysical (Stay tuned for an upcoming post on exactly that).<\/em><\/p>\n

In our house, we have 3 rules that originated from my partner years ago:
\n1. Take care of yourself.<\/strong>\u00a0(because no one else will take care of you if you don\u2019t do it yourself)<\/em>
\n2. Take care of others.<\/strong> (because we\u2019re nothing if we don\u2019t look out for each other.)<\/em>
\n3. Don\u2019t be a dick<\/strong>. (be kind, be compassionate, and be strong, don\u2019t hurt people deliberately unless it\u2019s necessary, and usually it\u2019s not.)
\n<\/em>I take these rules into consideration before I act, nearly all the time. \u00a0And it\u2019s always done me (and others) well.<\/p>\n

When the revised contract came through after the negotiations and discussion of facts, I was happy to sign it \u2013 because this is a business and the terms allow me to do what I need to do. \u00a0It\u2019s not much different than any other contract I have signed for art, design, or writing. \u00a0The speculations were largely unfounded, and no different of a situation than any other place were I have worked or contracted. \u00a0As long as I have the freedom to say what I need to say, then I am on board.<\/p>\n

I have been working with so many people over the last 20 years through art, dance, writing, and music \u2013 they come from a variety of backgrounds. \u00a0I\u2019m not going to turn away students because they believe different from me, or are interested in something that doesn\u2019t align with my personal beliefs. \u00a0I am not going to waste that opportunity to MAKE THAT CONNECTION with them, and share with them my views. \u00a0Nor have I had that approach with any company I have ever worked for. \u00a0Business first: get the work done. \u00a0If I feel in danger or pushed, then it\u2019s my choice to get out. \u00a0Right now, my witchcraft calls for being as\u00a0vocal in my own way as possible.<\/p>\n

Lastly, I respect every writer\u2019s choice to do what they feel they need to do. \u00a0I might not agree, but it\u2019s not my decision to make, it is theirs. \u00a0And I respect that deeply. Here\u2019s a key thing about witchcraft folks \u2013 it\u2019s important to be able to respect others \u2013 even if you don\u2019t always agree with them. \u00a0That\u2019s how things get done. That\u2019s how energy moves best.<\/p>\n

I believe standing at the Crossroads allows for some mighty powerful magick. \u00a0It\u2019s not exactly safe, but it\u2019s where things get done for me and my work.<\/p>\n

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. \u00a0And remember, #WeAreAradia<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have a blessing or gift. \u00a0It\u2019s also somewhat of a curse, depending on how you look at it. \u00a0It is my ability to maintain calm in the midst of chaos. \u00a0I should note that \u00a0you could define chaos in both negative and positive connotations here. \u00a0Everyone\u2019s super excited about things? I am calm and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[170,171,101,26,169,27,161,7,4,128],"class_list":["post-354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modernpractice","tag-drama","tag-dramallama","tag-p-word","tag-pagan","tag-patheos","tag-polytheist","tag-wearearadia","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft","tag-witchpower"],"yoast_head":"\nA Curse & A Blessing: Both Are About Energy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I have a blessing or gift. \u00a0It's also somewhat of a curse, depending on how you look at it. \u00a0It is my ability to maintain calm in the midst of chaos. \u00a0I\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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